An Invitation to Disaster
by Karel
Summary: Lucas and some of the crew are invited to Dr. W's party. Presents a different look at Lucas' mom.


  
  


An Invitation to Disaster   
  


Set between first and second season.   
  
  
  
  
  


Nathan Bridger yawned, and pushed back in his chair. He was getting too old for these late night work sessions. Giving a long look at the bed in his half finished cabin, he decided that he'd better head home. His permanent house guest had used a few choice words the last time he hadn't gone home. He'd rather be on the giving end of a lecture with a teenager rather than be on the receiving end. Besides, by the time he found something working to call Lucas, he could be home in his king size bed. Stacking his paper work neatly, he dropped the empty coffee cup in the trash, grabbed his jacket, and hurried out the door.   
  


In the corridor, he saw Tim O'Neill wandering, head down, paging through a thick book. Slowing down, he fell into step with the Lieutenant. "Working late, too?" Bridger inquired.   
  


O'Neill grunted, absorbed in his book and Bridger grinned.   
  


Two seconds later, Tim realized who was walking with him, and he looked at the Captain sheepishly. "Sorry, Sir, good evening. I'm trying to solve a communication puzzle and each time, I think I found the right piece, another problem pops up." He sighed and slapped the book closed. "What are you doing out so late?"   
  


" Paper work. You wouldn't believe the amount of paper work the UEO wants. You blow up your boat to save the world and they want 52 reasons, in triplicate, including what you had for breakfast that morning." Bridger raised his arms in exasperation. "Now I have to hurry home so I don't irritate a certain teenage computer genius, whose probably pacing the floor like a nervous father with his daughter out on her first date." Stopping suddenly, he turned to the startled Lieutenant. "Don't have kids, Tim, and if you do, find a good boarding school for the teen years!" He winked, with a grin on his face, and started walking again.   
  


O'Neill wasn't quite sure what to make of this and decided silence was the way to respond. He knew the Captain had strong feelings for the teenager and knew it was reciprocated on Lucas' end. Lucas was considered 'one of the guys' but they all felt that he needed the Captain's parental influence. "I'm going home too. Let me grab my things from the ward room and we can walk out together."   
  


Stopping at the ward room, which was the only part of the boat that was finished, Tim ducked inside and returned with arms full of papers and his laptop computer.   
  


"Here, let me help," Bridger offered as he took half of the pile.   
  


"Thanks, Captain. Oops!"   
  


A small white envelope fell, fluttering to the ground and Bridger bent down to pick it up. "So you got invited too," he commented, noting the Lieutenant's name written in calligraphy.   
  


" So did Ford and Hitchcock. Lucas wasn't too thrilled when I told him about it."   
  


The pair entered the launch bay, climbed down the ladder, exiting into the humid Florida night.   
  


"I know. He's been stamping around the house, grumbling for the last week. Something about how his father is just using him to show off, again." Bridger shrugged. "I don't see what the big deal is. Maybe his father has finally decided that he should get to know the people who've been caring for his son for two years."   
  


"So are you going to go?" Tim questioned. "Miguel thinks it will be a drag but it might be nice to have a little champagne and rub elbows with the rich."   
  


Bridger snorted. "I think it's going to more of a fund raiser event for World Power. Practice saying, *Yes, Dr. Wolenczak is a brilliant scientist, give him more money and he'll do it right this time*. Lucas doesn't know it yet, but I do plan on attending. I would like to get to know his father a little better. If I'm the boy's guardian, I need to know about his family."   
  


They stopped in front of Bridger's car as the Captain fumbled for his keys. "Good night, Tim. I'll see you tomorrow."   
  


"Night, Captain."   
  


***   
  


The Captain opened the front door, and immediately saw Lucas sprawled on the couch, devouring a large bowl of ice cream, stereo blasting in the background. He gave a cheery "Hi Lucas" and was rewarded with a grunt of acknowledgment. As he put away his jacket and car keys, he noticed the dry cleaner bag hanging on the closet door. Uh-oh, he thought to himself as he went to turn down the music.   
  


"So you are going," Lucas stated accusingly. "That's the only reason you'd get your dress uniform dry cleaned. I told you not to bother. He's never invited any of my friends before and I hardly stay for more than an hour till I'm given the signal to get lost."   
  


"None of your other friends have been UEO officers," Bridger pointed out and immediately regretted his words as a look of chagrin flashed across the teen's face.   
  


"You mean, all my friends are annoying teenagers like me, and who'd want us around." A hint of anger entered his tone. "Apparently, not my father or my mother. Not until I made friends with some one who might be useful to them!" Lucas took a deep breath, trying to tuck his emotions back inside and, in a quieter voice, added, " It's just another way for him to show me off. Here's my brave son, almost got blown up saving the world, isn't he wonderful." He whirled around to walk away as Bridger grasped him by the arm to stop him.   
  


"Do you think, perhaps, that maybe your father might want to meet the people his son had been living with for two years; that this is HIS way of showing that he cares." Reaching up, he caught the teen's chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. "In case you've forgotten, I'm your friend and your current guardian and it would be prudent for me to get to know your parents better. Yes, I'm going to the party, because I think it will be an interesting evening and I hope that you change your mind about it and try to enjoy it too."   
  


Lucas pulled away, muttering, "You'll be sorry" and stomped off to his room.   
  


Bridger shook his head, and went into the kitchen to see if any ice cream was left.   
  


****   
  


The black limo pulled up in front of the New Cape Quest Sheraton and the driver jumped out to open the door. Bridger, in his dress uniform was the first to emerge, followed by Jonathon Ford, Tim, Kristin Westphalen, and Lucas. The latter two were also wearing their dress uniforms while Kristin was wearing an emerald evening dress and Lucas was in a grey suit and tie.   
  


Lucas had decided to 'grin and bear' it. Still thinking that his father was up to something, he planned on keeping his friends on the other side of the room from his dad. Thoughts about faking an illness to get everyone out early had occurred to him.   
  


A limo pulled up to the curb, the driver jumped out to open the back seat door and a woman emerged. She gave a little wave to Lucas and the teen groaned. "Lucas!" She hustled over to the seaQuest group, pushing people aside in her haste. "My boy! How you've grown!" The woman embraced the teenager, who submitted to the hug for a few minutes and then wiggled his way to freedom. "Getting too old to give your own mother a kiss?" She pouted at him, patting her hair and smoothing her dress. "And these must be your seaQuest friends? I'm Jessica Wolenczak, Lucas' mother." A tall, grey haired man emerged from the car and joined them. "This is my escort, Fredrick. This is Lucas, the one I talk about all the time and these are some of his friends."   
  


As introductions were made, Bridger took the opportunity to scrutinize the woman who he had never met, never spoken to but sent letters monthly to about her only child. A petite woman, she had an air of wealth and good taste about her. Her blonde hair was short and stylish as was her black dress. This was a woman who was used to being the center of attention and enjoyed it. Bridge knew from Lucas that she was as smart as she was good looking, and worked in the Government's Diplomatic Division overseas with various ambassadors.   
  


Finally, she turned to him and gave him a blatant appreciative sweep with her eyes and held out her manicured hand. "And you must be Captain Bridger. So happy to meet you after all this time. Thank you for looking after my son and the lovely progress reports that you send every month. I hope that you can find time to take me on a tour of your ship."   
  


Bridger shot a quick glance at Lucas, who was frowning deeply. "That would be hard to do, Ma'am, since the seaQuest blew up. I sent you a progress report on that. But of course, you're more than welcomed to visit the new boat after she's built."   
  


"You blew up your ship?" Mrs. Wolenczak asked. "Yes, I do remember the news talking about that, when World Power had that little problem. I didn't really pay attention, I was out of the country on business. Lawrence screwed up again..."   
  


Deciding it was time to stop his mother before she started her rant at his father, Lucas pulled her away from the group. Bridger and Ford exchanged glances, while Tim shook his head in disbelief. Fredrick stood slightly away from everyone, shifting nervously while watching the people walk by.   
  


"She didn't know that her son's home blew up!" Kristin whispered, outraged.   
  


"What are you doing here, Mother," Lucas hissed, trying to keep the conversation private as the seaQuest group grew extremely quiet.   
  


His mother sniffed, looking hurt. "I thought you'd be happy to see me. After all, it's been two years." She dropped the 'wounded mother' act when Lucas scowled at her. "All stock holders were invited and I still have that five percent of the company from the divorce. Francis let it slip that you'd be here with some UEO officers." She gave him an evil grin. "Besides, I knew it would drive your father insane."   
  


They both turned as the Captain joined them. "Are you two ready to go in?" he inquired.   
  


Offering her hand to her son, Mrs. W asked, "Escort me in?"   
  


Secretly pleased, Lucas offered a shy smile and took her hand. "You look beautiful and you're right. Dad's going to be pissed."   
  


They swept into the hotel like the queen and king, with their entourage following behind.   
  


As the group separated into two elevators, Jessica murmured to her son, "Your Captain, is he seeing anyone?"   
  


"Mom!"   
  


******   
  


Several hours later, Lucas was relaxing in the corner of the room, watching his friends and his parents. As his mother had predicted, his dad was not really happy to see her but was cordial. To his relief, Dad had been genuinely delighted to see him, giving him a hug, asking about the new boat. There had been a few tense moments when they had been introduced to the hostess for the evening, Dad's latest girlfriend, Amber. The teen had seen the words start to form on his mother's lips and had given her the glare of death until she looked away. Greeting the seaQuest crew happily, his father had told them to enjoy themselves and then left them alone.   
  


The night was turning out better than he could have ever hoped. There was even some amusement in watching Mom try to flirt with the Captain, which resulted in major discomfort on Bridger's part. Maybe the Captain would listen to him next time. He grabbed a glass of champagne from a tray carried by a passing waitress and took a couple of gulps.   
  
  
  


"You're suppose to sip it, not gulp it," a droll voice informed him and he looked up to see Kristin standing in front of him. "And don't think I saw that little power play you started between your father and Bridger about your first glass."   
  


"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.   
  


"You saw the Captain give you a look and immediately you ran to dear old daddy to get permission from him to drink,"Kristin informed him tartly.   
  


Placing the half empty glass on the table, he sighed. "I'd rather have Coke anyway. Why do people spend so much money on that junk?."   
  


Kristin gave him a warm smile. "It's an acquired taste, I'm afraid. Like caviar. It's tastes a lot better when you spend your own money on it. Actually, I came over to see if you would like to dance with me. The Captain's busy hiding from your mother."   
  


Lucas stood and they moved together through the crowd towards the dance floor. Snatches of conversation surrounded them. Loud, angry voices made the teen look over to the buffet table, to the people standing there. He veered off in that direction, Kristin at his heels.   
  


Pushing his way past the tightly packed group of people, he found his mother and father staring angrily at each other. His father's face was bright red and his hands were clenched as his sides. His mother was trembling, trying to stay calm and in control.   
  


'I told you it was a stupid idea! You almost got him killed with that power plant of yours." His mother shrieked.   
  


"He has people to watch over him and teach him. It's better than your idea!" Dr. Wolenczak flung back at her.   
  


Lucas closed his eyes, wishing he could die right on the spot and sink under the floor boards. Glancing over, he saw his friends gaping at his parents in amazement. It was quite impressive, he had to admit, if you had never seen them go at each other before. Stepping between the two combatants, he declared, "Enough! Into your separate corners, you're ruining the party." Seizing 

his mother by the wrist, he pulled her away from his father into the hallway. "Sit," he barked at her, pointing to the small couch.   
  


Jessica Wolenczak raised an eyebrow at his tone, but did as she was told. "I'm sorry, Lucas, that I acted like that in front of your friends. I know you hate it, but that man, he infuriates me! Normally, I can be proper and subdued with the rudest of people, it's my job but your father knows which buttons to push."   
  


"Please don't fight about me." Lucas tried for a 'don't argue with me, I'm the Captain' face that he'd seen on Bridger millions of time. "I'm happy on seaQuest. I've got friends and my work. Dad did me the biggest favor getting me assigned there. It's not Dad's fault that the power plant blew up and we had to rescue him. In a way, I'm glad it did. It made our relationship take a turn for the better." He picked a stray thread on the couch, analyzing his feelings. "I was incredibly angry with the Captain when he decided to come to this party. Now I'm happy, like both sides of my life have finally come together." As if I made peace with my past, he thought to himself.   
  


His mother gave him a sad smile, and patted his arm. "It's too bad you got stuck with terrible parents; I know it's been hard on you sometimes but you're turning into a fine young man. I do love you, Lucas, even if I haven't always shown you."   
  


The teen sat in silence for a minute but knew he could not say those words back to her. There was too much hurt left, too much disappointment from all the times she wasn't there for him. Instead, he just nodded. "I'm going to go find Dad." He started to walk away, and turned back. "Could you please leave the Captain alone? I'd like to keep him as a friend." Then he left, going back into the main ballroom, looking for his father.   
  


Jessica noticed Bridger and Kristin standing a few feet down the hall, matching concerned expressions on their faces and went over to them. "I wanted to thank you for looking after my son. You've done a better job than his own mother and father could have done, I'm afraid."   
  


"He's a wonderful boy and we're happy to have him around,"Kristin said gently. "I have a daughter of my own, so I know how difficult parenting can be."   
  


Nodding in agreement, Nathan wasn't sure what else to say. At the beginning of the party, he had a few choice words running through his mind for the Wolenczaks. Meeting them had taken the wind out of his sail, though. A tirade of words aimed against them wouldn't change them and would only serve to mortify Lucas. Being a friend to the boy, being there for him when his parents weren't, helping him accept his parents as they were was the best thing he could do.   
  


"Well, if you excuse me, I have to visit the facilities." Jessica pretended she didn't notice Bridger's silence on the subject of her son.   
  


The Doctor moved to join her."I'll come with you. See you back inside, Nathan." The two woman walked down the hall, chatting.   
  


Jonathan approached the Captain, Tim a few steps behind. "Wow,"observed Jon. "Katie's going to be sorry that she missed that. It's like being in a soap opera."   
  


Still slightly stunned, Nathan commented, "Lucas always manages to find ways to constantly surprise me. He's told me some stories of his parents, but yelling at your ex at a fancy dinner party?" He had been embarrassed for the boy, at first, but was impressed by the mature way he had handled the whole incident.   
  


Tim shrugged. "It's sad." When the others gave him questioning looks, he elaborated. "Imagine being sixteen, even younger, and having to play referee to your parents. Isn't it suppose to be the other way round?"   
  


"Just another bump in an unusual childhood, I'm afraid," Bridger mused.   
  


"No wonder he leaves the room when arguments start," Tim murmured.   
  


"I'm going to go find him and make sure everything is all right," Nathan remarked as he started towards the ball room.   
  


Tim exchanged looks with Jonathan. "Great parents, huh? Some people shouldn't be allowed to reproduce."   
  


Shaking his head in agreement, Jon changed the subject. "Want to check out the desserts?"   
  


"Maybe Amber brought a friend?"Tim asked with a smile.   
  


***   
  


In the bathroom, Kristin joined Jessica at the mirror, refreshing her makeup and running a comb through her hair. "Tell me about some of the projects that Lucas helps with on your boat,"Jessica requested.   
  


As the Doctor started relating the details of the Stinger that Lucas had designed, she followed Jessica out of the ladies room and down the hall. She stopped mid sentence, staring at surprise at the men dressed in black that seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of them. There were three of them, all about the same height, black caps pulled down low, pointing weapons at them.   
  


One of them spoke in a heavy accent, with a cruel smile. "Mrs. Wolenczak, I presume?   
  
  
  


*****   
  


Another of the men checked his watch, and then spoke in a foreign language, gesturing to the man who had spoken. He grabbed Jessica, holding a gun barrel to her temple.   
  


"Go ahead, shoot me now," she demanded, not filching.   
  


The man with gun laughed. "No, that would be too easy. We need witnesses. People who can take our message to your ambassador. Move!" He pushed Jessica forward as the other men prodded Kristin with their guns.   
  


As they entered the ballroom, it was if a wave of silence swept over the room as everyone's attention turned to the drama unfolding before them. Amber screamed, a high pitched sound that could have shattered glasses and threw herself on the floor behind some chairs. Four party guests rushed forward, guns drawn and many of the party guests dropped to the floor in case bullets started flying. The seaQuest crew moved forward slowly, and Bridger kept a hold of Lucas, in case he tried to run to help his mother. Fredrick, Jessica's date hung back, as if afraid to get involved.   
  


Dr. Wolenczak, hands raised in the air, moved quickly to the armed men. "Take me and let her go. I'm the one you want, there's no reason to hurt anyone else."   
  


The English speaking one, with a quick glance at his watch, laughed and translated that into Spanish for his friends, and then announced, "No, we want Jessica Wolenczak. We have to hurry because we know security will be nearby momentarily, but we have a message for her boss. Stay out of Uruguay. It's dangerous for Americans." With that, Jessica was hurled forward onto the floor, and one of the men fired a bullet. Jessica curled up in a ball, with a cry of pain.   
  


Ford and Bridger were restraining Lucas, trying to push the teen back out of sight, but the teen broke free, running to kneel down beside his mother. "Mom! Oh, god!" In shock, he tried to find the bullet hole wound, sending furious glances at the gunmen. Enraged, he started to move towards them as his father grabbed the back of his jacket.   
  


"No, Lucas!" His father hissed at him, wrapping his arms around him to hold him back.   
  


Two of the men were headed for the door when the English speaking man, checking his watch, yelled at them, "Alto!"   
  


He grabbed Lucas, as the alarm went off on his watch, it's beeping breaking the stillness of the room. Putting the teen in a choke hold, he dragged him backwards, towards the door, as the other let out a stream of Spanish. As Bridger, Ford and O'Neill jumped forward, a gun was waved in their direction and they immediately grew quiet. Getting themselves shot or Lucas shot would not help the situation. Kristin had taken the opportunity to tend to Jessica, and Dr. Wolenczak had grabbed the house phone, calling for help. Unsure of what he should do, Fredrick stayed behind to help Kristin and comfort Jessica.   
  


The men, with Lucas, hurried to the elevator with the seaQuest group close behind them. The party guests that had been carrying the guns moved with them, guns pointed downward but ready to fire . As everyone was moving, Dr. Wolenczak whispered that the party guests with the guns were undercover security guards he had hired.   
  


The man who had done all of the speaking pushed a gun barrel into Lucas' throat and said, "So sorry that we have to leave the party so soon, but our ride will be here and it's a long walk to Uruguay. We hadn't planned on a hostage but this one should ensure your cooperation. I'm sure you'll understand. It's nothing personal, just politics." The group entered the elevator and pushed a button.   
  


Lucas, paralyzed with terror, remained mute, his wide blue eyes filled with horror because of what he had seen and what could still happen to him. The elevator doors closed on them before anything else was said.   
  
  
  


******   
  


The undercover security guards pushed the button, calling the other elevator but Bridger didn't want to wait. He glanced up to see Lucas' elevator was going down, and quickly looked for the 'stairs' sign. With a nod to Ford and O'Neill, he sprinted to the steps, followed to the others. They galloped down the stairs to the lobby, startling people standing there and took up positions by the elevator. Ford wished he had a weapon with him while O'Neill scanned the room for security guards. Hoping that they would release Lucas before they tried to escape, Bridger tried to look out the doors for a getaway car. Terrified that the armed men would start shooting their way out, Bridger told Ford to clear the area.   
  


O'Neill gasped and pointed to the elevator light. "They're going up!"   
  


Damn, Bridger thought to himself. The doors of the other elevator slid open. "Up, they're going up," he shouted at the security guards, and the elevator doors shut.   
  


Ford came over to Bridger. "What do you want to do, sir? They could get off at any floor and we can't anticipate that"   
  


Bridger thought for a moment, feeling helpless. They could take Lucas anywhere at this point. "Grab some of hotel security and take the stairs up to the roof." A vision of Lucas being tossed off the roof and crashing down to the sidewalk below overwhelmed him for a minute before he pushed it away.   
  


Ford gave him a look of confusion and the Captain shrugged. "I don't know what else to do. Obviously, they have a plan, some other way to exit the hotel. It was a well planned hit and run. Did you notice how they kept looking at their watches, as if they had to be somewhere at a certain time?"   
  


Nodding in agreement, Ford added, "I doubt that they were intent on taking a hostage but their victim's son was probably too tempting to resist. Hopefully, they'll see him as extra baggage and drop him some where." Without killing him, he concluded silently to himself. Beckoning to three security guards that were standing there, he headed towards the stairs.   
  


O'Neill came up to the Captain. "The police have arrived and they want to speak to you. I've already talked to them and told them what the gun men were saying in Spanish. Also, the ambulance is here, ready to take the elevator up."   
  


The sound of the elevator made them both turn as the door slid open. Laying in a heap on the floor was Lucas, bloody and beaten, a piece of paper clutched in his hand. Nathan and Tom rushed to him and as Bridger slowly picked up the boy to carry him out of the elevator, O'Neill took the paper.   
  


"Free Uruguay," he read out loud and then flashed the paper, which was a detailed map of the hotel's interior, in the Captain's direction.   
  


Lucas moaned and tried to focus on Nathan's face. "My mom, how is she?"   
  


" She's still upstairs with Kristin and the paramedics went up to help her. We need to find a couch for you and get you some help too." Giving the teen a visual inspection he saw a split lip and a bloody nose with a large bruise forming on his cheek. "Where else did they hit you?" The Captain carried the boy over to a lobby couch and gently laid him on it.   
  


Lucas shifted awkwardly. "My ribs hurt and I think I broke my hand when I tried to punch one of them." His speech was slightly slurred from the swollen lip.   
  


Bridger dragged his handkerchief out of his pocket and tried to mop the blood from Lucas' face. ."You tried to punch one of them?" The Captain sat back, eyebrow raised in surprise.   
  


"Yeah, I wasn't going to go without a fight."Blushing slightly, he added, "It was pretty ineffective. They laughed at me." He turned his head, upset at the memory.   
  


"Did they happen to mention why they did this?"   
  


"Something about Mom's job and how they were an elite team of hit men. The one who speaks English said that they wanted Americans to stay out of their countries politics or next time they would kill some one." Lucas closed his eyes, exhausted from the ordeal.   
  


Bridger looked up to see Tim hovering next to the couch, an expression of concern on his face. "Tim, could you go find the ambulance crew and tell them I have another patient for them. And tell the police I'll get to them when I can"   
  


"Do you think he'll be ok, sir?"   
  


"I think they went for maximum pain and damage for visual effect. If they had wanted to kill him, they would had plenty of time. He'll be all right and I hope I can say the same about his mother." Bridger leaned back on the couch and put a soft hand on the boy's shoulder.   
  


"I'll be back in a minute. Hang in there, Lucas. I'll try to get some news on your mom." Tim hurried out the door towards the ambulance.   
  


Bridger noticed the crowd that was starting to form in the lobby, all staring in amazement at the couch. There was a flurry of activity as Ford and the security guards, now accompanied by Dr. Wolenczak and Amber, exited the elevator.   
  


Ford came over to the couch, and taking one look at Lucas, swore under his breath. " There was a helicopter, swooped down, drop a rope ladder and they escaped. It was a slick, smooth operation."   
  


Dr. Wolenczak knelt down beside the couch, examining his son. "Is he going to be all right?"   
  


Bridger smoothed the teen's hair softly. "It could have been worse," he stated, "but I think he'll recover. Where's Kristin and Mrs. Wolenczak?"   
  


"They're on the way down." Ford dropped into a chair, tired from running up and down the stairs, his emotions running high."Some party, huh?"   
  


Dr. Wolenczak glared at him. "It's not exactly what I had planned. Leave it to Jessica to screw it up."   
  


****   
  


Looking up, Bridger noticed the ambulance crew coming from the elevator, followed by Kristin and Fredrick. He walked over to meet them halfway to the door, accompanied by Dr. Wolenczak, Tim and Ford. Amber was sitting in an arm chair, sipping from a whiskey glass. Jessica was laying on the stretcher, unconscious, an IV attached to her arm.   
  


Putting an arm around Kristin, Nathan whispered, "How is she?"   
  


"The bullet hit her in the shoulder. They'll take her for x-rays and surgery to take the bullet out, but I'd say her chances are pretty good. Where's Lucas?"   
  


The sound of a crash, made them all turn around to find Lucas clutching his ribs with one arm and hanging on to the back of the couch with another. A table was laying on the floor. "Sorry," the teen said sheepishly. "but I wanted to see Mom."   
  


"What happened to you?" Kristin hurried over to support the boy. "Let me look at your face."   
  


The teen brushed her hand away. "Later. I have to get to Mom. Is she really going to be ok?" he demanded, studying his mother.   
  


"She's sleeping now but I'm sure she'll be fine," reassured Kristin.   
  


"We've got to get moving now," one of the paramedics said as he gestured to the others. "There's another ambulance on the way for the boy."   
  


Kristin walked with the stretcher out the door with Fredrick accompanying her. Nathan was surprised that Lucas didn't immediately deny the need for medical attention and glanced over at him. He was startled to see the boy's eyes glistening with tears as he stared at the group as they move to the ambulance. It was unlike the teen to show an emotional reaction in public.   
  


Out of the corner of his eye, Nathan watched Dr. Wolenczak extend a hand towards Lucas and then hesitate, uncertainty in his expression.   
  


The teen, mentally exhausted from the days events, saw his father's reluctance, and automatically turned to Bridger.   
  


Bridger didn't hesitate, and wrapped his arms around the boy gently, wary of his injuries. As he rested his chin on the boy's head, he could see the look of regret on Dr. Wolenczak's face. "Everything will turn out fine, kiddo. We need to get you some medical attention, though, or Kristin will have my head." He slid his arm around the boy's shoulder, carefully guiding him to the couch as he gestured to the ambulance crew.   
  


Dr. Wolenczak watched them for a minute, regret and acceptance shining in his eyes. Amber tugged on his arm, demanding his attention.   
  


"You really need to go back and talk to your guests," Amber whined. "Besides, you know how negativity and blood upset me."   
  


Wolenczak gave another glance at his son, and then reluctantly headed to the elevator, Amber clinging to his arm.   
  


********   
  
  
  


One week later   
  
  
  


Bridger strolled into the Moon pool area, whistling . Stopping short, he was surprised to see Lucas sitting there, on the rim of the empty moon pool.   
  


He casually walked towards the boy and dropped a hand on the teen's shoulder. His mental alarms went off when Lucas gave him a small, sad smile. "I thought you went to visit your mother?" He asked curiously, not wanting to pry but unable to stop.   
  


The boy remained silent for so long that Nathan almost gave up hope on an explanation. Then Lucas turned, leaning slightly against the older man, looking for support, or comfort, Nathan wasn't quite sure.   
  


"She left." Lucas declared, his voice filled with disbelief. "I went to the hospital for my check up and then I stopped by her room and she was gone. I thought, after everything...things were going so well, while she was in the hospital...," his voice trailed off, at a loss of words, struggling to understand.   
  


Nathan put his arm around the teen's shoulder. "Didn't she leave a note, maybe explain to some one?"   
  


"She left a note, saying an emergency had come up at work and she had to go and handle it." Blinking rapidly, he held back the tears of disappointment, of betrayal. He couldn't believe that she could hurt him again, like this. After all these years, wasn't he immune to it?   
  
  
  


Feeling a flash of anger, and quickly burying it, Nathan said softly, "She can't transform her personality that quickly, not in a week. I know you felt close to her this week and maybe....," he hesitated for a minute, then proceed cautiously, "you fantasied a bit about the relationship you always wanted, but you can't change people, Lucas. I'm not saying it's right or that it's fair, but that's the way it is. You have to accept her for who she is, not what you want her to be. Who knows, maybe she had a taste of a real relationship with you and it'll leave her wanting more."   
  


Lucas sat, looking at the empty moon pool, wishing that Darwin was around so they could swim together. How many times in his life had he told himself the same thing that Bridger was saying to him. One would think that it would have sunk in by now, after all these years.   
  


"You're right, of course," he responded, bitterly. "You'd think, after my father and all his promises, I would learn. But with Mom, she was never there and having her for a week was... nice." He pulled back, and jumped up, ready to shove the past week aside, and get on with things. "On the bright side, speaking of my father, he said he'd have a BBQ for the crew next week. He said it was the least he could do."   
  


Catching the smirk on the teen's face, Bridger smiled back. "Seeing how his last party ended up a disaster, I'll have to get back to you on that."   
  


Lucas snorted. "You can't say I didn't warn you!"   
  


Giving him a playful punch, Bridger suggested, "Let's go find some ice cream and I'll tell you the problems of building a new boat. Talk about disasters!"   
  


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